Bean stringer



\ March 22 1927.

. J. H. CARTER BEAN STRINGER Filed March 5, 1926 iNVENToR H Car';

ATroRNEYs WQ Y QJM atented Mar. 22, 1927..

JAMES HURBER'E CARTER, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNA.

BEAN STRNGER.

Application nled March 3,Y 1926. Serial No. 92,042.

This invention relates to improvements in bean stringers and 1t conslstsof the constructions., combinations and arrangements herein describedand claimed.

An object of the invention is to lprovide a small and simple device forremoving the strings from string beans as one' ofthe steps preparatoryto subsequent cooking, the purpose being accomplished by inserting oneend of the string bean in proper. position between the guide rollersandknives and pull' v on the line 3-3 of Figure `1.

. cutting the strings.

, ably affixed at '14. to the axle 15 of the rollers b Figure l is adetail knife frame.

.Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of enough ofthe device toillustrate the act of perspective view of the In carrying 'out theinvention provision is made of a wood or other base 1 upon which theframe 2 is mounted in transverse position. The frame is composed of apiece o'f metal so bent as to form an enclosure. for thc pair of wheels3 and l of the concave guide' roller 5. A similar but spiked roller 6coacts with the roller 5. The frame has `a lug. 7 through which and thebase of the frame fastenin means 8 are driven into the slightly raisedead 9 of the'base 1. v

In bending the frame 2 into shape the lconfronting edgesare left s acedapart to define a :transverse slot 10 into which the shafts 11 and 12 ofthe guide rollers extend and in which` the shank 11 is movable. TheShaft 12 is stationarily held. The rollers revolve upon tlhe shafts.,and in order that the rollers may-'not drop down so far upon the shaftsas to contact the upper surface of the frame 2, theshafts are enlargedat 13 to provide shoulders. The end of the shaft 11 adjacent to therespective shoulder 13 is suit- 3, said axle being centrally reduced(Fig. 3) toinsure centering the roller shaft lll in respect to the slot10. The shafts 11 and 12 are connected. by springs 17 of e ual tension,thereby keeping the rims of the concave rollers 5 and 6 in normalcontact but permitting turning ofthe rollers when a string beau isinserted. The roller 5 moves to accommodate the bean andthe rollers 3constitute a carriage. The bent frame 2 constitutes the track for thecarriage.

A gear 16 on the lower end of the roller (i` meshes with a pinion 31.The pinion is carried by a crank 32 which has Ia handle 33 for turning.The inner end of the crank seats in a socket 34. The crank is introducedin a slot 35 and a lug or collar36 keeps the crank in lifted out.

A pair of knives 13 stands in position to cut the strings from the beansas the bean is fed through upon turning the crank 32,. The upper knifecuts the upper string and lthe place. The crank can be lower knife cutsthe lower string (Fig. 5). 75

yThe upper and lower carriages 19 and 20 by which the knives arecarriedjare supported by a frame 21 which has pairs of side slots l22and 23 to receive the studs 2f and 25 of the knife carriages for thepurpose of 80 guidance. d

The studs project a sumci'ent distance fromy the sides of theknife frame21 to permit attachment of the springs26 (Fig. 4) and thus;

draw the knife frames 19 vand 20 together. 85

The adjacent ends of the slots 22 and 23 limit the movement of theframes and knives toward each other so that the latter are normallyspaced as shown in Figure 1. The

frames 19 and 20 carry pairs of transverse 9o rollers 27 and 28. Theserollers en age the beans and limitthe distance to wlich the knives maycut into the substance.

l The knlfe frame 21 has a handle 29 bv means of which the frame can beconvenientl-y turned in order to screw` the threaded stem 30 into thewood base. It is observed that the knives 18 are beveled on bothtransverse edges. The knife frame can be turned around to resent sharpedges to the beans ywhen the edges on one side are dulled. The operationis readily understood. The pair of knives 18 stands in line with thepair of concave guidev rollers 5 and 6. The concavity of t e rollersproduces an openingy (Fig. 3) well adapted to receive a string ean.

The string bean is inserted between the rollers 5 and 6 and pushedtoward the knives ing connected by the `rollers 27 land 28 of the knifeframe causes a separation of the carriages 19 and strings as the push onthe bean continues.

The knives 18 are disposed but slightly below they pairs yot' rollers 27andv 28. The rollers act as a-gauge to limit the amount of substance cutfrom the bean. 27 ermit the necessary spreading of the kni e carriages19 and 2O as shown in Figure 5. The strings will curl away from the beanas it passesv through, and are readily cleared away after' the operationis 'completed. It may be stated that in lieu of using the ,simple crankarrangement for hand operation some slight ywell known modifica-` tionmay be made to permit power operation of the inion 31. v

Whi e the construction and arrangementy of the improved bean Stringer isthat of a generally preferred form, obviously modications and changesmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the claims.

1. .Ay device of the character described having a pair of knives andmovable frames carrying the knives, means limiting the movement of theframes toward each other thereby sustaining the knives in normallyspaced relationship, a pair of vertical guide rollers between whichan`article to be cut y'is inserted, incombination a carriage upon whichone guide roller is mounted, resilient means so connected between theroller as to normallyfkeep the guide rollers together, a transversetrack on which the carriage runs upon movement of the respective rollerto accommodate said article when moved between the rollers, andtransverse rollers carried by said frame being located in advance of theknives thereby to be engaged by said article to separate the frames andknives and gau the depth of the `cut.

2. A evice of the character.' ,described `having a pair of knives andupper and lower carriages carrying the respectlve knives in spacedrelationship, a slotted frame in which,n

the carriages are situated, studs projecting from the carriages throughthe slots and besprings to move the carriages toward each other but keepthe studs The springs in engagement with adjoining slot ends lo limitsaid movement, pairs of rollers between which the knives are situated onthe carriages, a air of gui-de rollers between which an article isinserted, means to drive one of the guide .rollers to move the articletoward the knives, one set of the carriage rollers separating the carriae and knives' when engaged by the article oth sets running upon thearticle to gauge the depth of the out, resilient means connecting theguide rollers ernlitting lateral separating movement o one of the guiderollers to accommodate said article, a carriage by which said one guideroller is supported, and ineans constituting a track upon which saidcarriage runs during said lateral separating movement.

3. A device of the character described comprising a, pair ofl verticalguide rollers between which an article to be cut is inserted, ay pair ofdouble-edged knives so positioned in respect to said rollers as to meetthe article, vcarriages supporting the knives, a frame upon which thecarriages are removably mounted, rollers carried by the carriages beingengageable by the article to move the carriages and separate the knivesprior to the cutting operation, a base providing a common support forsaid :trame and guide rollers, andmeans so mounting the carriage frameupon the base permitting turning of the frame in respect to the base topresent either of the edges of the knives to said guide rollers.

4. A device of the characterl described shaft stationarily held upon thebase carrying one of `the rollers, a carriage movable upon the basehaving a shaft carrying the other roller, resilient means connecting theshafts permitting displacement of the movable roller when the article isinserted, a gear carried by the relatively stationary roller, a crankhaving a pinion to mesh with the gear for driving the rollers, a socketinto which one end of thecrank is insertible when applying the pinion,and means holding the crank 1n position but permitting removal oi thecran JAMES HURBERT CARTER.

